What The Ability Experience does

The Ability Experience is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, founded in 1977 as P.U.S.H. (Persistent Unselfish Service Here) and operating since 2014 under its current name after an intermediate period as Push America. It is the exclusive national philanthropy of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and operates as the umbrella entity for a portfolio of service programs designed to support people with disabilities while developing servant leaders among Pi Kappa Phi members. Core offerings include coast-to-coast and regional cycling journeys (Journey of Hope, Gear Up Florida, Gear Up New York), hands-on construction-based service programs (Ability Camp, Ability Camp Honduras, Build America), endurance athletic events (Ability Experience Challenges), a scholarship-based camp counselor program (Bergstrom Fellows), grant programs, and year-round chapter support infrastructure.

The organization does not sell commercial products and has no proprietary technology platforms; its core "product" is an experiential service-delivery model built around physical endurance, fundraising, and construction service at disability-serving camps. Its limited technology footprint consists of operational tools: a peer-to-peer fundraising mobile app (iOS and Android, built on Nuclavis), a donor support portal at support.abilityexperience.org, Asana-based participant application forms, and integration with social platforms for storytelling. Over 45+ years the organization has raised more than $30 million cumulatively, with annual chapter fundraising now exceeding $1 million across 160+ active chapters, and currently maintains a Charity Navigator 4-star rating with an 83¢ program expense ratio.

The Ability Experience's business model is community-led and event-driven. Revenue flows from four streams: individual donations (including 77 Society recurring monthly giving), corporate sponsorships (Mountaingate Capital as presenting sponsor of Journey of Hope; Bergstrom Foundation and Chrysler among others), participant-raised funds tied to event commitments, and chapter-led local fundraising. Programs are free to participants; Ability Camp provides lodging and meals, and Bergstrom Fellows receive up to $1,000 in scholarships plus wages. The go-to-market is concentrated within the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity ecosystem, with chapters serving as recruitment, fundraising, and volunteer units, supplemented by 314 partner disability-serving organizations and an active Pi Alpha Society alumni network (3,324 inductees as of March 2025). The organization is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Phillip Lloyd Hamilton and led by President & Executive Director Basil Lyberg, with a professional staff of approximately 10-15 employees.

Name

The Ability Experience

Legal name

The Ability Experience

Website

https://abilityexperience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ability Experience is a Charlotte-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 and serving as the exclusive national philanthropy of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. It delivers experiential service programs, including cycling journeys, construction-based accessibility builds, and scholarships, in partnership with 160+ fraternity chapters and 314+ disability-serving organizations to support people with disabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Services Nonprofit

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Endurance Stage & Destination Challenges (Multi-day Tours, Charity Challenges) (MPAKAIAG)

Keywords

• Disability services
• Fraternity philanthropy
• Volunteer service programs
• Charitable fundraising events
• Community inclusion programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to The Ability Experience through one-time and recurring gifts. The 77 Society is a monthly recurring-giving program. Donors can give directly to the organization or to specific chapters and participants.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors provide financial support for national events including Journey of Hope, Gear Up Florida, and Ability Experience Challenges. Sponsors gain visibility and engagement opportunities in exchange for funding. Named sponsors include Mountaingate Capital (presenting sponsor of Journey of Hope), Bergstrom Foundation, Chrysler, and others.
3. Participant Fundraising: Participants in programs (e.g., Journey of Hope riders, Bergstrom Fellows, Ability Camp volunteers) raise funds as part of their program commitment. Gear Up Florida participants collectively raise $150,000 annually. The Honduras program requires a $2,500 fundraising commitment per participant.
4. Chapter Fundraising: More than 160 Pi Kappa Phi chapters collectively raise over $1,000,000 annually for The Ability Experience through campus events, bike-a-thons, and local fundraising initiatives. Funds support national programs, grants, and operational costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Ability Experience delivers a portfolio of national service programs for Pi Kappa Phi fraternity members that create shared experiences with people with disabilities. Core offerings include multi-week cycling journeys (Journey of Hope, Gear Up Florida, Gear Up New York), construction-based service trips at disability-serving camps (Ability Camp, Ability Camp Honduras, Build America), inclusive endurance events (Ability Experience Challenges), year-round chapter support (Chapter Impact & Experience, Pi Kappa Phi Day of Service), scholarship and grant programs (Bergstrom Fellows, Circle of Giving, Cycling, Construction, Memorial/Honorary Grants), and the Pi Alpha Society alumni network.

Product overview

The Ability Experience operates as a portfolio of service programs unified by a shared mission to support people with disabilities and develop servant leaders. The core offerings include multi-week cycling programs (Journey of Hope, Gear Up Florida, Gear Up New York), hands-on construction programs (Ability Camp, Ability Camp Honduras, Build America), endurance athletic events (Ability Experience Challenges), and year-round chapter support (Chapter Impact & Experience, Pi Kappa Phi Day of Service). Supporting infrastructure includes grant programs for partner organizations, the Bergstrom Fellows scholarship, the Pi Alpha Society alumni network, the 77 Society monthly giving program, and a mobile fundraising app. All programs emphasize shared experiences, Friendship Visits, and building authentic relationships between Pi Kappa Phi members and people with disabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journey of Hope Annual coast-to-coast cycling journey with two routes launching from the West Coast and covering more than 8,000 combined miles, including Friendship Visits with disability community organizations and culminating at the U.S. Capitol. Delivered for Pi Kappa Phi members.
• Gear Up Florida Two-week, 850-mile cycling journey through Florida across 13 cities, ending at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee. Includes Friendship Visits with disability service providers and collectively raises approximately $150,000 annually.
• Gear Up New York Cycling program covering 560 miles from Buffalo to New York City, serving communities and celebrating ability across New York State through disability service organizations and local partners.
• Build America Construction-based service program that builds accessible amenities (ramps, pathways, cabins, recreation spaces) at camps serving children and adults with disabilities across the United States. Relaunching in 2027 after a hiatus.
• Ability Camp Weekend service trips where Pi Kappa Phi members construct accessible amenities such as fishing piers, boardwalks, ramps, pavilions, playgrounds, and sensory paths at camps and facilities serving people with disabilities nationwide.
• Ability Camp Honduras International service program in Comayagua, Honduras, where teams build a medical clinic for Hogar Nazareth, serving more than 80 people with disabilities and their families through residential care and daily support. Requires a $2,500 fundraising commitment.
• Ability Experience Challenges Endurance events promoting inclusion by enabling people with and without disabilities to compete together, including marathons, ski events, cycling events, and hiking challenges.
• Bergstrom Fellows Scholarship program recognizing Pi Kappa Phi members who serve as counselors at camps for people with disabilities. Fellows receive up to $1,000 in scholarship award alongside camp pay for a full-season commitment. Funded by the Bergstrom Foundation.
• Grants Grant programs supporting partner organizations: Circle of Giving grants for local partner organizations, Cycling Grants for Friendship Visit hosts, Construction Grants for camp accessibility projects, and Memorial/Honorary Grants for Journey of Hope organizations.
• Pi Kappa Phi Day of Service One-day chapter-driven or local service projects bringing together Pi Kappa Phi students, alumni, and community partners for hands-on improvements for people with disabilities.
• Chapter Impact & Experience Year-round support offering for Pi Kappa Phi chapters, including fundraising assistance, disability awareness programs, volunteer relationship guidance with local disability organizations, and access to Circle of Giving grants.
• Pi Alpha Society Alumni society of over 3,000 Pi Kappa Phi members who completed Journey of Hope, Gear Up Florida, Gear Up New York, or Build America, offering mentor programs and ongoing engagement opportunities; 3,324 brothers inducted as of March 2025.
• 77 Society Monthly recurring gift program recognizing Pi Alpha Society members who give back through recurring donations to ensure more brothers have life-changing experiences.
• The Ability Experience Fundraising App Mobile application for Apple iOS and Android that connects to chapter fundraising pages, allowing brothers to manage personal fundraising efforts, communicate with donors, and track progress from their phones.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $30 million raised since 1977 to benefit people with disabilities
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Pi Kappa Phi FraternitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPi Kappa Phi founded The Ability Experience in 1977 as its exclusive national philanthropy. The fraternity provides the primary participant pipeline (160+ chapters, thousands of undergraduate members annually) and the organizational culture from which servant leaders emerge. The Ability Experience is embedded within the fraternity's structure, governance, and alumni network.
• Hogar NazarethcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHogar Nazareth is a residential community in Comayagua, Honduras, serving more than 80 people with disabilities and their families through the care of Franciscan friars. The Ability Experience partnered with Hogar Nazareth to build a medical clinic for the community. Fr. Justin Alarcón, a Pi Kappa Phi alumnus and Franciscan friar, initiated the partnership.
• 314 Disability-Serving Organizations and CampscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ability Experience maintains active partnerships with over 314 disability-serving organizations and camps across the United States. These partners host Ability Camp construction projects, serve as Friendship Visit locations for cycling teams, receive grants, and benefit from the Bergstrom Fellowship counselor program. Partnerships include camps such as Camp CAMP, Camp Thunderbird, Camp Riley, Camp Barnabas, and many others.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Best Buddies International: Disability inclusion nonprofit pairing participants with and without disabilities through one-to-one friendships, jobs programs, and inclusive events. Both operate at the intersection of disability advocacy and youth-led relationship building, with peer-driven volunteer networks as a primary scaling mechanism.
• Pi Beta Phi Foundation: The philanthropy arm of Pi Beta Phi sorority, running literacy-focused fundraising via chapter networks. Direct comparable as a sorority/fraternity-affiliated 501(c)(3) that scales through undergraduate chapters and alumni giving, mirroring The Ability Experience's chapter-driven model.

Broad incumbents

• Special Olympics: The largest global sports and disability inclusion nonprofit, running year-round training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities. Comparable mission of using shared athletic experiences to shift public perception of disability, with similar fundraising dependency on mass-participation events.
• Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA): Established nonprofit funding research, care, and advocacy for people with neuromuscular diseases. Comparable profile as a multi-decade fundraising-driven disability nonprofit using endurance events (MDA Shamrocks, galas) and donor recognition societies, sharing the "charity challenge" engagement model.
• Easterseals: National disability services network providing early intervention, autism services, vocational training, and accessible recreation at camps. Comparable in serving the disability community and operating accessible camps that depend on construction-based service projects and grants similar to Ability Camp's model.

Others

• Shriners International (Shriners Children's): Fraternal organization whose philanthropy focuses on children's specialty healthcare. Comparable in being a Greek-letter fraternal order where members drive fundraising and volunteer activity for a disability/health mission, with similar structured philanthropy chapters embedded inside a broader membership organization.

Emerging players

• Global Medical Brigades: Student-led nonprofit organizing international service-travel trips building clinics and supporting communities abroad. Comparable model of high-commitment student volunteers funding and executing construction service abroad, mirroring Ability Camp Honduras' approach and structure.
• A Kid Again: Mid-sized nonprofit providing cost-free adventures and events for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. Comparable in the "shared experience" service delivery model, with peer-driven volunteer engagement and corporate sponsorship-heavy fundraising.
• Dare2Tri (paratriathlon): Nonprofit developing paratriathlon opportunities for athletes with disabilities. Comparable in using endurance sports as the engagement vehicle to drive inclusion outcomes for people with disabilities, with similar fundraising-from-participants model.
• Adaptive Sports Center (Crested Butte): Nonprofit delivering year-round adaptive recreation and competitive training for people with disabilities. Comparable as a partner-style camp benefiting from The Ability Experience grants and volunteer labor, overlapping in mission and beneficiary population.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/johtransam
• Instagraminstagram.com/abilityexp
• Xx.com/abilityexp

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Ability Experience